I've been struggling to write for a few years now, and I can't seem to get past it. I can create an outline, build the world, and characters, but as soon as I begin to write the first sentence I can never do it. I can't find the motivation to do it because I feel that it's derivative. I LOVE spy thrillers, especially ones that feature computer hacking. At the time I started writing, it wasn't like it was today, computer hacking was rarely in the news, the average person didn't know what spyware/malware was, and Edward Snowden was still an NSA employee. When the Snowden leaks happened, I thought it was the recharge I needed to get my spy novel off the ground, but I was wrong. Everytime I think about it, I just lose motivation as I think it would just be lost in the shuffle of all the other spy thrillers that came out in the last 3 years. Even my characters are boring and unoriginal.
Outlines and world building are not writing. They're not even distant cousins. I can draw a picture of a house but I cannot build it. I'd say motivation is the wrong word. Most of us write because we are compelled to or because we enjoy it or. I seriously doubt external things like Snowden or the glut of spy or hacking novels are holding you back. Sounds to me like you don't derive any particular pleasure from actually writing things, so why are you fighting it? Maybe it's not something you want to do if you can't get past the first sentence. I tried golf once and I could barely make contact with the ball on the tee shot. I soon realized golf was not for me.
Fore! I'll go with @Homer Potvin on this; it might be deeper-seated than demotivation, could be that a spy thriller, if it's to have any credence, is quite an undertaking. Especially if you're not (or never have been) in the game. Reading and loving such things—you've set the bar. Researching for background and backdrop—a time-consuming slog that could demoralise and try your patience. Writing with conviction thereafter—well you've intimated that you don't have the confidence. How about flip things around; concentrate on your writing, build your skills—write lots of shorts and scenes till you feel you can control your pitch?Poss. aim to make your spy thriller your end game rather than put it before you as an obstacle. I love historical novels, and kudos to some of the folks on here that manage them, but I know they're way beyond my ken without some serious investment of time and effort (got failures to prove it). What motivates me presently is simply to improve as a writer and have small success/some recognition for doing so—play the long game.
Mine was after an hour. It was the tale of a mormon stuck in a lift with Barry Manilow. She asked him to sing Copacabana live, but then his voice cracked and he broke down in chinless tears. I was stuck for sub-plots after that.
My longest story is about seventy thousand words. When I wrote the original draft, it was only forty thousand, and I never expected for it to come out that long. Basically, you can't think about word count. It's a bad habit in my opinion, because then you're thinking about quantity over quality. It makes sense if you want to make a good read that takes people time to finish, but if you let yourself write what you want for the story without worrying about the length, it comes out a lot better, and you may surprise yourself with how much you actually can come up with.
There is a line between passion and enjoyment between things. From what it sounds, I can tell you enjoy those genres, but writing them is entirely different (duh). It's something that most people do because they enjoy it, when it comes to writing literature at least. Don't force it to happen if there is no pleasure in doing it. If it's just the fact that you can't start the novel because of immediate writer's block, then, again, don't push it so much
I don't mean to be disrespectful, but you're American. America has always been about quantity over quality... it is a factory conveyor belt. You have 25 episodes of shit, half of which are pure filler. Americans love quantity and care nothing for quality. I'm British- our series are between three and ten episodes. We don't have the Hollywood budget, which means we must rely on great writing.... and guess what, we get great writing, rather than committee think-tank tropes. Sorry, that rant was not aimed at you.
What motivates me to write? Well it's simple. I write not only to entertain others with what I write but to also try opening their eyes to new ideas in order to hopefully better the world and change, for the better, the zeitgeist of this and later generations.
Ive never heard the phrase 'chinless tears' before. Bizarre. I agree with your comments on USA tv for the most part. I've watched several series that get cancelled before they have a conclusion, which ruins the whole thing. But uk make crap too. See soap operas.
Hey Nexus. In my humble opinion, you already have the motivation. You, there in that chair, have dreamed something and want it to exist. You HAVE the motive. The motivation. What you're talking about, really, is something more related to discipline than motivation. Perhaps I'm off, but... I think what you need is not something extra. I don't think you need some added element. What you need is subtraction. Let go. Let go of your notions about things being overdone, or how your work will be perceived by people who haven't even read it. Let go of your own thought, and instead embrace the thoughts of your characters. And if they seem hollow to you, this shift in psychology will make them real.
I mean... think about how you cook a meal. You think: I'm in the mood for chicken. You know you want chicken. And you know you like garlic and bacon. And you know you like green beans. And you know you like diced onion with your green beans. And maybe you'll experiment a little. "I'll use olive oil instead of pan spray." "Oh, you know what sounds interesting? I like spice; I'll mix some hot sauce in there and add a few grapes to balance the heat." That's writing. That's anything.
As for what motivates me personally to write, I have no idea. Perhaps it's the only way I know how to fucking communicate where every other way I've tried to do so has failed miserably. Sorry, I don't know if there are rules against certain kinds of 'language' on this forum. Please let me know if I've gone too far.
Gosh, that's an interesting problem. You obviously do write, and you're not being tantalised by the problem we usually hear about on the forum ...so many ideas, none of them ever finished. You've been beavering away on the same story, but just haven't quite hit the stride. Are you a reader of novels? I mean lots of them? Is this your preferred choice of reading material? The novel? Maybe even the long novel? Is a novel what you naturally gravitate towards? Or do you prefer short stories? There is no reason why you 'must' write a novel, if that just doesn't work for you. I know I can't write short stories. I have tried, but my own nature prefers a more slowly-evolved and more immersive kind of tale. Maybe you are the opposite? You could maybe hit a happy medium. You've done all this research, created these characters. Maybe just write short stories set in their world, using your characters, but don't create an overhanging story arc. It's actually a natural way to think of life, isn't it? Most of our lives consist of episodes. You can create a world and characters in the same form. Think Star Trek (the TV series.) Each episode contained the same characters (more or less) and their personalities did evolve as we got to know them better, and they interacted with each other and the environment. But there was no overhanging story arc for the whole series that needed to be concluded. Each episode was self-contained—even though we liked, cared for and even grew to love the characters, and expected them to behave in a certain way. No reason you couldn't do that with your world, if that feels more natural to you.
Haha WOW! Awesome playlist, thank you!! I've listened to several tracks now, headphones in, volume up... Gets the heart pumping, that's for sure. Makes one feel invincible. Thank you for this. I have heard that one 'must not' think about word count, but when it comes down to it, I think about nothing more frequently! I think sometimes it is good to check in and see where one is at with word count to see if one is on track, but it is a debilitating habit when one isn't on track ... Oh. I don't know how @Pinkymcfiddle feels about your comment and naturally it is up to Pinky more than myself to reply, but I don't know if those comments were particularly constructive, accurate or necessary. I've come across some shit US and shit UK media, and vice versa. I have favourite TV shows that are both British and American, and both are quality (read: not sitcom or 'reality' tv). To suggest that Pinky's writing was verbose and lesser quality due to his being American is pretty far-fetched. I've seen plenty of brilliant UK shows get axed before their time. This line of conversation is pretty irrelevant. "Haven't hit the stride" is just about it! I'm definitely a monogamous writer: I focus on one story at a time until it is finished, before I move to the next. And this has always worked, because I've always written short stories. Some times I've written four or five stories a week because I've been in the groove and I've been able to finish one and move to the next quite quickly. It's a very strange experience feeling like I've put in the same amount of work I might put in for thirty stories, and I've still barely left the starting blocks! I LOVE reading novels. I struggle to find novels that I enjoy ... I feel guilty saying it but I read very critically, and tend to analyse the writing so much that it ruins most books for me. I'm unable to read a book purely for the enjoyment of the story. The prose must be just as entertaining and impressive as the story, for me to enjoy it. If the writing is sub-par, I can't hack it, and the book is on a swift one way trip back to the op-shop/library shelf from whence it came! Maybe this is just me being a snob??? I adore Joanne Harris' writing. She's my hero. Her prose AND her stories are always exquisite works of art. But I just haven't found a huge number of authors about whom I can say that. I'm sure they are out there. I need to look harder. I need to pick up each new book with an open mind instead of a cynical one. I'm afraid I pick up a book thinking, "I'm going to assume you're garbage until you prove you're not." I wish I knew how to pick up a book with the attitude "I'm going to assume you're fantastic until you prove you're garbage." But when I find one that I enjoy, I devour it!! (I promise I'm a nice person...) I don't feel like I must write a novel, except for one thing: the story presented itself to me AS a novel. I have wondered if I could just write it as a series of short stories, but that doesn't gel. I just know this particular story needs to be a novel. I just need to find the confidence to know that I'm the one who's meant to write it! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond with such thoughtful ideas and suggestions. Thank you. I just wish there was an easy way to shift gears from 'keyhole' mode to 'panorama' mode!
Normally I like the notion of writing bits of a story then connecting them up with transitions ...chapters, scenes, whatever it takes. But maybe that's what's doing your head in. Maybe, now that you've got stuff so well planned out (which might also be a problem—more later) you should just fashion some sort of beginning, keep going in a chronological way and DON'T skip forward. See if that works. Preplanning can suck a lot of life out of writing, so maybe that's not a good idea either. Remember, nothing you write is set in stone until you publish it, so don't worry if a lot needs to be rewritten because you change your mind about something partway through. If you start with a general idea that doesn't contain a lot of specifics, you might find that your imagination starts to flow. If you've preplanned too much, then you're just connecting the dots, aren't you? Maybe be more open to just letting the story evolve. If new ideas strike you as you write, go ahead and follow them. You're already the sort who won't get distracted and faff off into another project, so don't worry if the new ideas don't quite fit with what you'd planned. See where they take you. Another really good trick is to pretend, in your head, that you're telling the story to another person. Somebody you know well. Use that voice as you write. Pick a suitable person—somebody whose age won't conflict with the age of your imagined readers (don't tell an adult story to a child, etc.) You may find that picking a deliberate audience of one will free you up no end. Instead of keeping a whole cadre of people you don't know on board, just pick that one. What kind of story would that person like to hear? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they the kind that will 'fall' for all your tricks? Will they hang on your every word and want to know more? Personalising a story like that often is the key to getting it rolling along. Don't pick somebody who is likely to be critical, though. This is where you need somebody who thinks you're the bees knees. A good friend, a sibling, a parent or grandparent ...whoever fills the bill for you. Don't focus on perfect writing. Focus on getting your audience excited and completely sucked into your story. The perfect word choices, etc, can all come later on, during the edit. Right now, get that energy flowing. Tell that story. Don't be afraid of emotion. If you become melodramatic—go with it. Excess emotion can always be pared back later on. It's harder to inject emotion into a flat piece, so don't hold yourself back. Be honest and straightforward. My main mantra for writing has always been: if something isn't working, change the approach.
I'm going through what you're going through right now. Having such issues with my WIP that I'm writing it in pieces. I'm finding it hard to keep my pov straight and a coherent threat running through the story. Also stuff like this scene happened because of this - a feeling of interconnectability so I'm going to try just starting at the beginning and just writing until I hit the end. My biggest hurdle is that 40 page mark. I hit it and usually that's my dead end. But the last story I did I managed to throw in a twist to keep me going. I found myself bored so I threw something unexpected into the story and got remotivated. That's my plan for my WIP.
@jannert Let me kick off by saying, Wow, thank you so much for your thoughtful and encouraging response! This is helpful. Reading your comment, I realised that I have been unconsciously afraid of running off the rails and losing my focus. On one hand, I feel like it should be obvious, but on the other I think I have had a lot of subconscious fears and assumptions limiting me. Having things laid out in a simple way like this is helping me re-jig my mindset and recognise where my assumptions and expectations of myself are letting me down. This is a great idea. I can't think of anybody off the top of my head, but I'm sure there is someone! Haha!! Becoming melodramatic is one of the things I've been beating myself up about! How did you get inside my head?! I know I shouldn't be afraid of writing rubbish in my first draft, but with my short stories I've never done revision, so the notion of having to go back and revise is daunting. Which leads me to pressuring myself to get it perfect first time. Let me know if you happen upon anything helpful to get you out of the rut! Apparently my hurdle is the 33-page mark. But those 33 pages contain about 13 different sections. Nothing cohesive and connected. The last few days I've been having a dawning realisation that maybe my only solution to my rut is to just sit down and write. And force myself to keep writing even when I feel like all the words have dried up. It feels like a literary parallel to forcing out that last set of squats at the gym, regardless of how loudly my body is screaming at me to stop, I just grit my teeth and power through to the end. No submission!! How do you throw in something unexpected to re-inject inspiration? I can't think of anything to shake it up! I've also realised another issue: I have NO IDEA how to switch POV narration. I've only ever needed to work from one POV in my short stories. How is it done?? I feel like that's one of those questions where the answer is, simply, "you just do it." But it seems so counter-intuitive. I love that I'm stretching these new writing muscles and I'm excited for building my strengths in this area ... but the unfamiliarity of the 'workout' is so daunting.
Maybe one solution is not to focus so much on your story goal, but to enjoy the journey itself. Make yourself (and your reader) happy to be wherever they are. Look forward to the journey's end, in a broad sense, but also enjoy looking around at the place you are just now. Enjoy the people you're with, what's happening, etc. Take your time. Don't rush. There is more to a novel than just getting to The End. Obviously you don't want to stick people forever in a room with no windows where nothing is happening. So there should be lots to look at on the journey, lots to listen to and to watch. Don't just gallop through the marketplace. Take time to look at what's there. Don't get distracted—you did come to pick up a bunch of bananas, didn't you? But enroute to the bananas there are lots of other things to look at that make the marketplace a lively and interesting place to be. People will remember that marketplace, and will want to read more from the author who showed it to them. I think that might be the difference between a novel and a short story. A short story is usually focused sharply on getting to the ending. No extraneous words, a minimum number of characters and settings, no event that doesn't figure into the ending, add a few twists to make the ending unexpected, sometimes ironic—the end. Novels are a different experience. The reader stops to smell the roses, so to speak. Give them lots to sniff at. Enjoy the journey. Think of the difference between walking someplace and taking the car. You get there in the end, both ways, but the walker experiences a lot more than the driver does. Over a longer period of time. As to your POV issue, I wouldn't worry about it. Lots of novels are written with just a single POV character. It's limiting, in that the writer can't directly show what any other character thinks or feels. Anything anybody else thinks or feels must be guessed at by the POV character. You also can't show scenes where the POV character isn't present. But this is perfectly do-able—and has been done to great effect ever since authors started writing books. I don't know if you read Dickens, but David Copperfield is written from a single POV character's perspective, and never steps outside it. More recently you have Old Yeller, To Kill A Mockingbird, etc. Any book that has "I" as the main character is likely to be a single POV character book. If you're comfortable using a single POV character, just work your story around that. No problem. If you want to show a scene the POV character isn't part of, or want to show the POV character through the eyes of somebody else, then you're into multiple POVs. It'll come naturally to you, once you give it a try. Again, if you read novels, maybe look closely at how other novelists handle this sort of thing.
You make it sound so easy. Again, I'm so grateful for the way you've taken the time to respond in depth with thoughtful and helpful advice. Thank you. I think I've realised that because I have all the major plot developments identified, my instinct is to jump to each of those points and write about them, but then to face writing all the filler and minor plot developments, I feel like I'm waffling about insignificant detail. I've recently recognized the same tendency in myself when I'm sharing something about myself in conversation with people: I feel uncomfortable holding their attention for too long, so I mentally filter through all the info, identify the major points, share those with the person and then handball the conversation back to them, even if I believe there were interesting details I left out of what I was saying and even if it's a topic I am personally very excited about. I don't like the spotlight and can't shake the idea that if I am talking for longer than about five sentences, it is probably boring and self-centered. So I guess I need to just take a really deep breath and start typing and not panic when I've been in the same scene for longer than 300 words...
Yep. That's what I meant about if something isn't working, you need to change your approach. I can kind of understand your dilemma, though, if you are primarily a short story writer. It's not easy to do both, and novel writing isn't a case of writing a long short story and padding it out, either. A novel gives you scope to introduce more characters, more subplots, make the encounters richer, and allow the story to percolate a bit. It's not about creating a single effect. I would struggle to write a short story, so I do understand your situation. I've tried. My storytelling gene isn't wired like that.
I spent a couple of quite productive years writing flash fiction. It was a good thing; my past writing efforts had gotten bogged down in purple, or at least dark lavender, prose and verbosity. Unfortunately, I got into the habit of trying to hint and imply and cram whole chapters of backstory into the placement of a single comma. Now I want to go bigger, but I've gotten a little agoraphobic; my to-date completed Magnum Opus is ~4000 words long, and I stare at it now and wonder how I ever managed to turn out such a monstrosity.
